Australia in the 1930s

Indigenous Australians

In 1931, the federal government declared Arnhem Land an Aboriginal reserve as part of a new policy emphasis to try to segregate traditional Indigenous people and make decisions governing their lives.

The Aborigines Act Amendment Act 1936 (WA) gave the minister for Native Affairs the power to take Indigenous people into custody without trial or appeal, and prevented Indigenous people from entering specified towns without a permit.

In the 1930s, Aboriginal people formed protection associations led by inspirational men and women such as William Ferguson, Jack Patten, William Cooper, Douglas Nicholls, Margaret Tucker and Pearl Gibbs to use political action in campaigns to assert self-determination.

The Cobourg Peninsula is located on the north-west tip of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. (NASA)

A snapshot of 1938

January

The first national conference of Indigenous Australians was held at the Australian Hall, Sydney, to mark a 'Day of Mourning' and protest during the 150th Australia Day anniversary of colonial settlement. The conference was initiated by William Cooper, founder of the Australian Aborigines League (AAL), and The Aborigines Progressive Association (APA), led by William Ferguson, and Jack Patten. Participants called for Aboriginal land and citizenship rights.